YVONNE EPPS WRITES- Summer is the season of sun, fun, and numerous nerd conventions throughout Southern California. These are notorious for attendees that cosplay, and I’m no exception. But as I prepare for Anime Expo 2015, the largest anime convention in North America, I can’t help but lament certain aspects.…
Full Article COSPLAY: Spectrum of Colors
YVONNE EPPS WRITES- Stories about children exposed to domestic violence or other abuses are shocking to read about, but as journalists we don’t want to add insult to injury. Thanh Nien News has been prolific in exposing the Vietnamese media’s abuse of child rights, specifically, incidents where the media breaches their…
Full Article VIETNAM: Youth Protection Services Please!
ASIA MEDIA INTERNATIONAL WRITES – Staff writer Yvonne Epps accepted the Loyola Marymount University Writing Award for First Place in the Journalism-News category on April 23. Read her award winning article, Vietnam: A Step in the Right Direction for Social Media Freedom, here! Congratulations, Yvonne!
Full Article AWARDS: Staff Writer Yvonne Epps Wins Big!
YVONNE EPPS WRITES— Vietnam has come a long way since the start of the year. We’ve seen major progress with the acceptance of social media and dips with press freedom, but the road is still jagged and, if they don’t watch their step, they might end up hurt. The Economist reported…
Full Article VIETNAM: Of Progressive Leaps and Jagged Passes
YVONNE EPPS WRITES—Part of the reason why gender inequality is still a problem is due to our refusal to talk about it. In Vietnam, the discussion portal is open and someone is finally taking the podium. Thanh Nien News is on a roll with addressing gender inequality in the media.…
Full Article VIETNAM: Equal Coverage Needed for Gender Equality
YVONNE EPPS WRITES— When the western world first saw the platypus, they were confused, but curious. Now, whenever we encounter strange animals in the media, we have the same reaction – but that curiosity is only satiated when those animals are actually real. A man in the northern province of…
Full Article VIETNAM: Wild Salamander Chase
YVONNE EPPS WRITES— We all have our poisons: Japan sips sake, Korea loves its Soju, the Philippines drink Tanduay rum. As for Vietnam, it would seem that they have finally reached their legal drinking age and the parental units are starting to feel uneasy. Out-of-state media sources have recently shown…
Full Article VIETNAM: Hangover City
YVONNE EPPS WRITES— It seems that 2015 is beginning to look promising for the modernization of Vietnam’s regime. It’s true that you can’t ban social media, but you can always issue regulations that squeeze the life out of the industry. Mike Ives of the New York Times recently wrote about…
Full Article VIETNAM: Modernization Abomination
YVONNE EPPS WRITES— Today’s generation would find it hard to imagine life without social media. And at least some people in the government seem to have caught on. According to TuoiTreNews, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung stated that authorities must provide “official and accurate information in a timely manner on…
Full Article VIETNAM: A Step in the Right Direction for Social Media Freedom
YVONNE EPPS WRITES— Since the beginning of Fall, I’ve been bemoaning the lack of press freedom in Vietnam, beating this dead horse and watching talented journalists battle the nooses around their necks. However, this sad story is taking a turn. It’s about time someone with a powerful voice said something about this…
Full Article VIETNAM: Popping the Silence Bubble
YVONNE EPPS WRITES — In a perfect world, there would be depth to the concept of press freedom in Vietnam. Unfortunately, all they have now is a shallow kiddy pool that is severely monitored by ‘helicopter’ parents. The issue is becoming much more complicated as the party is finding more…
Full Article VIETNAM: Free Media Doesn’t Require Lifeguards
YVONNE EPPS WRITES — Imagine standing in the pit of the House of Blues, staring up at a four-man group that begins to sing in Japanese. It’s an indie Japanese music fan’s dream, and when you wake up, you realize that the American mainstream is being invaded. A trend is…
Full Article JAPAN: Rocking Through the Mainstream
YVONNE EPPS WRITES — From the moment you open Tumblr, 4chan, or Reddit, you’re laughing up a storm. We’re lucky that this is all in English for the American audience, but Vietnam isn’t far behind with their own growing chuckle site. The popular start-up site HaiVL was allegedly acquired by…
Full Article VIETNAM: Will Sell Site for Laughs
YVONNE EPPS WRITES — Vietnam treating their journalists poorly isn’t even a punchline anymore. In the past year, we’ve seen them wage war against journalists and bloggers, detaining, silencing, and playing jail tetris with them. It’s about time someone went undercover. Shawn W. Crispin from the Committee to Protect Journalists…
Full Article VIETNAM: Uncovering the Undercover
YVONNE EPPS WRITES — The next generation console war is heating up in the West as Sony’s PS4 and Microsoft’s Xbox One are neck and neck. In the East, however, Sony has had Microsoft on the ropes. According to Arcade Sushi, the Xbox One launched in Japan in September and was…
Full Article JAPAN: Xbox Nope
JEREMIAH FAJARDO WRITES – Despite lengthy lines and oppressive heat, L.A.’s annual Anime Expo broke its previous attendance records, embodying the growth and impact of Japan’s pop-culture diplomacy. Each Independence Day weekend thousands of passionate fans descend upon Southern California for North America’s largest convention for all things related to…
Full Article LOS ANGELES: A Stellar Showcasing of Soft Power